• The Canisius College men's basketball team will host Daemen in the first of two exhibition games on Monday night in the Koessler Athletic Center, with tipoff set for 7 p.m.

• This will mark the second-straight season where the Golden Griffins have played two exhibition games prior to the start of the regular season.

• Canisius and Daemen are playing for the first time in school history. Dating back to the 2001-02 season, the Griffs are 5-1 in exhibition games.

FAST BREAK POINTS

• This is the 110th season of Canisius men's basketball. The Griffs played the first varsity game in school history Dec. 7, 1903.

• Canisius returns three starters and five letterwinners to this year's roster, led by seniors Billy Baron, Chris Manhertz and Jordan Heath.

• Baron, who lead the team with 17.2 points per game last season, is the first player in school history to be honored as the MAAC Preseason Player of the Year, as voted on by the league's 11 head coaches.

• Manhertz led the team in rebounding last year and ended his junior campaign ranked among the top-50 nationally in rebounding average with 8.7 boards per contest.

• Canisius senior Chris Perez will make his debut in a Griff uniform against Daemen. Perez played the previous two seasons at Stetson and was named Second Team All-Atlantic Sun after the 2012-13 season.

• Canisius' active roster this season also features redshirt sophomores Kevin Bleeker and Dominique Raney and redshirt freshman Phil Valenti. All three players redshirted last year, but took part in team practices.

• Canisius head coach Jim Baron is starting his 27th season as a head Division I men's basketball coach. Baron is the first coach in Canisius history to lead the Griffs to a 20-win season in his first year on the Griffs' bench after last year's squad went 20-14 overall.

MONDAY IS COMMUNITY DAY

• Canisius is hosting Community Day on Monday night, as the Griffs will host three local youth boy's clubs in the Koessler Athletic Center.

• The Griffs will host a "books and basketball" clinic, starting at 5 p.m., and members of the local boy's groups will play a game at halftime.

UP NEXT

• Canisius will host its second exhibition game Nov. 6, when the team plays Mercyhurst at 7 p.m., in the Koessler Athletic Center.